


Hidden Talents

by FeugoFox42



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Romance, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25090315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeugoFox42/pseuds/FeugoFox42
Summary: When you love someone, why not let them know. Because if you wait, you may have to let them go. But when an opportunity arose, why not put on a show.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	Hidden Talents

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by blake_belladonna_defence_force, as they are a great inspiration and just a generally nice person. 
> 
> Just don't ask her about Yan*mals :P

"So, why did you want us _all_ to come here again?" Yang questioned.

'Here' was a club a few blocks away from Pietro's workshop down in Mantle called _The Bohemian_. It seemed to have steady footfall most days Blake had noticed it, and despite its less than stellar name (which she'd learnt it took as it was one of the very few Faunus-friendly establishments in the area) seemed pretty reputable, but there was always a crowd on Tuesdays. The Faunus looked into it, and the moment she knew why it had a spike in popularity once a week, she had planned in secret for a Team RWBY night out.

Blake smirked at her partner as she replied, "we needed a night out together, away from the worries of everything going on in Atlas and Remnant as a whole."

"Yeah, but why a club?" Ruby asked, not too thrilled to be here. She'd forgone any sort of attempt to look 'nice' for this excursion, keeping with her tried and tested civvies look with her grey denim jeans and red hoodie, obviously with her baby still strapped to her back and her newly minted Huntsman Licence on hand. "I'm all for a team bonding night and all, but I'm barely old enough to get in here. Why not go to the movies, or have a game night, or something back home?"

"I wanted to try something new for a change," Blake offered calmly.

Yang couldn't keep her eyes off her partner throughout the entire walk here, try as she may (she didn't try very hard, truth be told). Blake really put an effort in tonight. It reminded her of their first da- _outing!_ Their first outing in Atlas when Team FNKI took them to a club up on Atlas. Blake had made a slight effort then, wearing make up and trying adorably to practice dancing in their dorm room before getting to the club. Turned out, Blake really needed a partner to help her find her groove, and Yang just so happened to be free.

Well, that, and Neon was _sooo_ insistent on dancing with Yang that the brawler needed to occupy herself as often as she could to keep those requests to a minimum.

But tonight? Blake had _really_ made an effort. Her hair had been curled ever so slightly at the ends, giving the natural wave in her hair a more prominent flow to it all. Her make up was stunning; less like her usual affair and more there to show off a bit more. And her outfit; Yang was blown away how easily she could pull off a simple black boots, faded blue jeans, white tank and a simple leather jacket. She knew Blake had style, but this was unfair really. It made Yang's ripped jeans, AchieveMen t-shirt and flannel look underdressed by comparison.

In the jumble of thoughts she was experiencing thanks to Blake's attire, her meandering through her mind was halted when she was elbowed in the ribs by Weiss.

"Ow! What-"

"You're staring. _Again,_ " Weiss pointed out in hushed tones, unapologetic for the 'pain' she caused the team's brawler, her own far-to-formal dress and heels standing out on the streets of Mantle as _The Bohemian_ came into view. "I am all for a team bonding night like you said, but do not make me drag Ruby back home because you are just staring at Blake and we have to do our own thing."

"Alright, fine," Yang relented. "...but can you blame me?" she added with a smirk.

"Brothers... I will fling you into a dumpster." Yang held her hands up in surrender. "Just... say something to her soon, please? Seeing you two dance around each other like this was fun for the first day, day and a half? Heck, I even tolerated it as far as Argus. Nothing will go wrong Yang, I promise."

"Okay, okay. Thank Weiss."

Weiss nodded before speaking aloud again. "I thought that a place like this would be nightmare for you Blake. Surely it can't be good for your hearing."

"I appreciate the concern Weiss, but I've been looking into this place for a few weeks now. I wouldn't suggest we come here if I thought it'd be anything less than ideal for you." The brief embarrassed "hrmph!" that came from their Atlesian friend was all Yang needed to give off a hearty chuckle, rushing up to her partner and resting a lazy arm over her shoulders in pride.

As the team all approached the club's doors, they were briefly stopped at the door by the bouncer; a mountain of a Faunus with formal trousers and shoes but no shirt to speak of, likely due to the shell across his back making wearing such a real difficulty - not that he seemed to mind or care. One look across all of them, a check of ID, a brief nod to Blake, and the four of them walked inside to some brief cheering across one side of the room as a woman stepped down off the stage, a second person rising from the piano and leaving the stage too.

"Is that...?" Ruby began.

"It is," Blake finished with a smile.

"I'm not getting up there," Weiss immediately informed her friends. Singing was a sore subject for the alabaster haired woman, and it was something only her team had the pleasure of hearing back at Beacon simply because she felt comfortable performing when they were around.

"Never said you had to. When I was looking at this place, I thought that an Open Mic night would provide some interesting entertainment. I'd never force you onto a stage if you never wanted to do something." Weiss nodded appreciatively before finding a space for them to sit.

The group talked and had a drink or two whilst they were there. Ruby declined at first due to her age, but Weiss gently coerced her into trying after mentioning that the legal drinking age in Atlas is the second lowest in all the kingdoms she caved. It was a decision she regretted, as Yang finished the remaining half of the drink Ruby didn't have. The youngest instead, with their table position, took watch as 'Talent Scout' with a Sunflower Pop in hand; she'd watch who went up on stage and encouraged the team to enjoy the odd performer that went up that looked 'watchable'. She was right most of the time, and the team did enjoy most of what went up there.

About an hour into their stay, Blake excused herself from the table, removing herself from under Yang's looped arm and heading off to the toilet. Yang simply stared off after her, smile gracing her features.

"Yang?"

Her attention was torn away from the retreating Faunus by her sister's voice. Though much older than their days at Beacon, the way Ruby spoke reminded Yang of the uncertainty in her little sister's voice near the start of their Huntress journeys together. "What's up, Ruby?"

"Are... you and Blake okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, we're good." She raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Why?"

"It's... look, I'm happy for you. She makes you happy, you make _her_ happy. You're good for each other, why don't you just go for it?"

Yang, on instinct, chuckles a little, but cuts herself off after seeing the beginnings of Ruby's deflation. "Look Ruby, it's not something you'd understand."

"I'm nearly eighteen years old, Yang," she rebutted as patrons began clapping for the next act to take to the stage, "I know about these things. I was around Ren and Nora for months on our trek through Mistral. Just because I don't get involved with that sort of thing doesn't mean I don't understand it."

"Well, it's not something I really want to talk about. I need to work it out."

"...do I have to pull The Leader Card on this?"

"You wouldn't _dare!_ " she cried, leaning closer to Ruby and Weiss in the process. "This is personal things Ruby. We agreed that The Leader Card couldn't be used when dealing with personal feelings."

"But it _can_ be used when dealing with a situation that impacts the entire team, and this qualifies."

"How does this qualify?"

"Becau-"

"I think," Weiss interrupted, raising her hand between them to avoid their sibling quarrel from escalating into anything more substantial, "that The Leader Card won't be necessary, Ruby."

Ruby glanced over her sister's shoulder towards the stage as Weiss was doing, gasping at the sight. "Is that...?" she echoed from earlier, only more awestruck than before.

Yang looked to the stage last, having been sat with her back to it. Lilac eyes widened in sheer surprise as there, sat at the piano, mic by her face, feline ears standing proud on her head, was...

"Blake?"

As her ears twitched slightly at the sound of her name, a smile graced her features knowing her intended audience was paying attention, and she began playing.

"I didn't know Blake could play piano," Ruby mentioned, seeing her teammate beautifully letting a soft melody ring out through the establishment, quieting a number of conversations around the place. Yang was, quite simply, spellbound, as she rose from her seat and slowly plodded her way towards the stage, like a sailor caught in the grasp of the song of a siren at sea.

Blake played more, and as her playing went on, Yang got closer and closer to the stage, entranced. Blake's eyes caught Yang's, lilac locking with brilliant amber, and with a soft smile...

_"Love of my life, you've hurt me,_  
_You've broken my heart and now you leave me._  
_Love of my life, can't you see?_  
_Bring it back, bring it back_  
_Don't take it away from me, because you don't know_  
_What it means to me"_

"She can _sing_ too?!" Weiss had a natural talent for singing, and when her father caught on she was trained by the best in Atlas to be even better than before. She knew talent when she heard it. Blake, the Atlesian knew, was most definitely talented.

_"Love of my life, don't leave me_  
_You've stolen my love, you now desert me_  
_Love of my life, can't you see?_  
_Bring it back, bring it back_  
_Don't take it away from me_  
_Because you don't know_  
_What it means to me"_

By this point, Yang was right at the edge of the stage. She'd eased her way through some of the other patrons enraptured by Blake's singing prowess, and while some put up resistance at first, they or their friends realised that this wasn't meant for any of them. Soon, they let the world this Faunus was creating with her performance be there for the people it was solely meant for: herself, and the blonde woman who approached in a trance with tears pooled in the corners of her eyes, and love plastered over her face.

_"You will remember_  
_When this is blown over_  
_Everything's all by the way_  
_When I grow older_  
_I will be there at your side to remind you_  
_How I still love you..."_

Blake glanced away from the mic and her keys, turning towards where Yang was, only to see her right at the edge of the stage. It came as a surprise, but it made it feel so much closer when she whispered her next line,

_"I still love you."_

If there was ever a look of love, Blake saw it there and then on Yang's face. Never had she once seen that on Adam's face. Never. She may have felt that way about him, a long time ago, but she was young and naïve, and knew not what the dangers the path she'd chosen would bring her too.

Now?

Now her feelings could be expressed how _she_ chose, to people she would deem worthy to be chosen.

Who would feel the same way about her and she did them.

And seeing the breath all but leave Yang as she said those words, words Yang could tell were only meant for her?

Worth it all.

_"Oh, hurry back, hurry back_  
_Don't take her away from me_  
_Because you don't know what she means to me_  
_Love of my life."_

Blake ended there with a chord, and everyone around clapped and cheered for her. Well, everyone but one.

She stood from the stage and made her way down the steps to the front, where Yang stood staring at her like she was the only person on Remnant.

"How did you like the performance, Yang?" she inquired innocently, smirk on her face. The smirk faded as a slight blush crept up her neck, pulling closer to her partner and not making eye contact nervously, reality suddenly kicking in. "You understood the meaning behind that, right?"

Yang was still struggling to find words at this point, a stuttering mess before her partner. "Blake, I..."

Blake stood on her tiptoes slightly as she planted a chaste kiss on Yang's lips, tasting the Strawberry Sunrise she had been sipping on throughout the night as she did so.

The shock of that kickstarting something in Yang's head, as Blake began pulling away Yang leaned in after her and returned the kiss in kind, and then some. The tension between the two that had been ramping up since Beacon had culminated here, and over a year's worth of repressed feelings and unsaid words came out as they kissed, and let that say what they didn't.

As they pulled away, they both realised where they were, and immediately jumped back from one another as people gathered around to try and congratulate Blake on that performance, brilliant blushes that glowed brighter than the soft neon lights around the area on both their faces. Eventually, they made their way back to the table, hand in hand, smiling like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

"Blake!" Ruby cheered, rushing over in a flash of petals to tackle her friend in a hug. "That was incredible! I didn't know you could do that! When did you learn to do that?"

"It was something I picked up when I was younger," she answered with a smile. "Playing was freeing, and for the longest time I couldn't find anywhere for long enough to do this sort of thing. Ever since we've been here, I asked Flynt where their Music hall was up at the Academy, and have been practising for a good week or two to get to this level again."

"It was amazing Blake," Weiss complimented. "Perhaps I would have sung a little more had I known you had this sort of skill back at Beacon." She smiled. "I'm happy to see you enjoy yourself."

"And _I'm_ happy that I just won 1,500 Lien off Weiss because Blake make the first move!"

The ex-Heiress sighed. "I'd _hoped_ you'd forgotten about that."

"Nope!" their leader grinned, popping the 'p' as her family was want to do as Weiss handed over 1,500 Lien.

"Wait, were you _betting_ on us?!" Yang asked, shocked at the revelation.

"Well, yeah. Neither of you wanted to make a move, but you both liked each other, so everyone made bets on who'd ask who first."

"And aren't you glad I invited you now, Ruby?" Blake asked with a smile too innocent to be true.

" _You knew_ as well?!"

"Of course I did, Yang. I was waiting on you, but when Nora let slip when I was within earshot that she can't wait to win all the prize draw for guessing you'd make the first move, I had no choice."

Yang was flabbergasted for the second time that evening. Blake simply smiled and walked back to their table, Ruby talking her ear off about every other hidden talent Blake may have hidden from them.

If this was what Yang was going to have to put up with now that they were a thing... she could get used to it.

At least, she would, if she wasn't elbowed in the ribs again by Weiss.

"Ow! Seriously?"

"I was rooting for you..." she pouted, making her way back to table behind the others.

_Worth it,_ she thought to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> I LIIIIIVE!
> 
> It's so weird being back on here, writing up something new after over a year since I'd last done so. But I had a moment of inspiration, and I was not going to let this one slide away into obscurity in the back of my mind anymore. So, here it be!
> 
> The lyrics for the song are 'Love of My Life' by Freddie Mercury/Queen. I take no ownership of the lyrics.
> 
> As always, feedback - good or bad - is most appreciated
> 
> Until next time,  
> FeugoFox42 :)


End file.
